Munitions

M880 81 mm short-range practice cartridge

Also known as
  • M880
  • M880 SRTR
  • 81mm M880 Short Range Practice Cartridge
  • Cartridge, 81mm, TP Short Range, M880

The M880 is a U.S. 81 mm short-range practice mortar cartridge for limited-area mortar training. FAS describes it as a 1/10-range round for the M252, M29, and M303 81 mm insert, with an M775 practice fuze that gives crews flash, bang, and smoke feedback while allowing refurbishment and repeated training use.

M880 81 mm short-range practice cartridge, 81 mm short-range mortar practice cartridge, Munitions
Image source: FAS M880 Short Range Practice Cartridge
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Built by
Nammo-Pocal
Type
81 mm short-range mortar practice cartridge
Service note
Type-classified in March 1986 and used as short-range 81 mm mortar training ammunition
Designer
U.S. Army
Designed
Type-classified standard in March 1986
Produced
Late Cold War and modern training inventory

Specifications

Caliber
81 mm
Cartridge role
Short-range target-practice / crew-training round
Firing systems
M252 and M29 81 mm mortars, plus the M303 81 mm mortar insert for 120 mm mortar training
Fuze
M775 practice fuze, a facsimile of the M734 multi-option fuze
Effects
Flash, bang, and smoke signature
Range concept
1/10-range training round
Range
45 m minimum to 460 m maximum across charge zones listed by FAS
Weight
6.5 lb / 2.95 kg
Reusable training feature
Can be fired up to ten times with a refurbishment kit
Variants

M880 is the short-range 1/10-range 81 mm practice round; M879 is the full-range companion cartridge for realistic training at longer ranges.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
M879 81 mm full-range practice cartridge, 81 mm full-range mortar practice cartridge, MunitionsM879 81 mm full-range practice cartridgeFull-range companion training round

FAS lists M879 and M880 as distinct 81 mm practice cartridges, with M879 covering full-range practice and M880 covering 1/10-range short-range training.

Sources: FAS Mortar Cartridges Index

Firing Weapon

The M880 is ammunition for 81 mm mortar training rather than a standalone weapon.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
Mortar launcher, 81mm, 81 mm crew-served medium mortar, ArtilleryMortar launcher, 81mm81 mm crew-served medium mortar family

FAS identifies the M880 as a short-range practice cartridge for use with the M252 and M29 81 mm mortars, plus the M303 81 mm insert for 120 mm mortar training.

Sources: FAS M880 Short Range Practice Cartridge

Why this entry is relationship-only

The reviewed sources document training use, compatible mortar systems, and cartridge characteristics, but do not directly document M880 use in a named conflict.

Sources: FAS M880 Short Range Practice Cartridge, FAS Mortar Cartridges Index

Related Weapon Systems
81/82 mm mortar, 81/82 mm crew-served medium mortar, ArtilleryArtillery81/82 mm mortar81/82 mm crew-served medium mortarThe 81/82 mm mortar family covers the modern crew-served, muzzle-loaded, smoothbore indirect-fire class descended from the Stokes mortar lineage and still fielded worldwide in variant-specific forms. This is a family-level page: 81 mm L16/M252/M252A1/F2-type systems and 82 mm Soviet/Russian-pattern systems such as 2B14 and 2B24 share a medium-mortar battlefield role but are not interchangeable hardware. Conflict rows stay at the caliber or named-system level supported by the source, including Boko Haram/ISWAP recovered 81 mm equipment, Iraqi M252 training under Operation Inherent Resolve, U.S. Marine M252 use and Afghan Border Police 82 mm sustainment in Afghanistan, PKK 81/82 mm mortar use where no single model is identified, and Chadian 82 mm mortar training before operations in Mali.
M888 60 mm high explosive cartridge, 60 mm high-explosive mortar cartridge, MunitionsMunitionsM888 60 mm high explosive cartridge60 mm high-explosive mortar cartridgeThe M888 is a U.S. 60 mm high-explosive mortar cartridge for the M224/M224A1 Lightweight Company Mortar System. Army and environmental ordnance references identify it as DODIC B643 with an M935 point-detonating fuze, Composition B fill, 67- to 3,490-meter range, and fragmentation/blast effects against personnel and light materiel. Public conflict-specific evidence for this cartridge currently comes from Afghan National Army and Iraq Train and Equip Fund supply records, so the conflict rows document transfer and delivery context rather than confirmed battlefield firing.
Mortar launcher, 81mm, 81 mm crew-served medium mortar, ArtilleryArtilleryMortar launcher, 81mm81 mm crew-served medium mortarThe 81 mm mortar launcher is a crew-served medium-mortar class for high-angle indirect fire with high-explosive, smoke, illumination, and training ammunition. This entry treats the L16/M252/M252A1 line as representative of modern 81 mm launchers while keeping conflict-use claims model-specific where sources allow: Boko Haram/ISWAP reporting identifies recovered 81 mm mortar equipment without a model, CJTF-OIR imagery identifies Iraqi M252 training at Camp Taji, and Task Force Southwest imagery identifies U.S. Marine M252 use at Camp Shorab in Afghanistan.
M721 60 mm visible light illumination cartridge, 60 mm visible-light illuminating mortar cartridge, MunitionsMunitionsM721 60 mm visible light illumination cartridge60 mm visible-light illuminating mortar cartridgeThe M721 is a U.S. 60 mm visible-light illuminating mortar cartridge for the M224/M224A1 lightweight company mortar system. Army ammunition materials describe a parachute-and-candle payload, an M776 mechanical time fuze, and roughly 300,000 candlepower for observation, fire adjustment, and signaling, while transfer and budget records place the round in Afghan and Iraqi partner-force ammunition channels.

Sources

FAS M880 Short Range Practice CartridgePublisher: FAS | Note: Supports M880 short-range practice role, compatible 81 mm mortar systems, M775 practice fuze description, 1/10-range concept, refurbishment feature, charge-zone data, cartridge weight, type-classification date, contractor, production quantity context, and image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-07-13FAS Mortar Cartridges IndexPublisher: FAS | Note: Supports the placement of M879 and M880 in the 81 mm mortar-cartridge family and distinguishes full-range and short-range practice entries. | Accessed: 2026-07-13